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| Tuesday, 05 June 2007 | |
 By Shaykh Mashhoor Ibn Hasan Salmaan’Abdullaah Ibnul-Mubaarak (d.181H) – rahimahullaah – used to say: “The latter part of this Ummah will not be rectified, except by that which rectified its first part: zuhd and yaqeen.”
Allaah - the Most Perfect, the Most High - responded to the supplication of His Prophet Ibraaheem – ’alayhis-salaam – when he said: “Our Lord! Send unto them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them Your Signs, teaching them the Book and the Wisdom and purifying them. Indeed You are the Most Powerful, the Most Wise.” [Sooratul-Baqarah 2:129]
So Allaah - the Mighty and Majestic - said: “It is He who has sent to the unlettered ones a Messenger from amongst themselves, reciting to them His Signs, purifying them and teaching them the Book and the Wisdom, whereas before that, they had been in clear misguidance.” [Sooratul-Jumu’ah 62:2]
And Allaah blessed the Believers by sending the Messenger, who carried out these two tasks, so He – the Mighty and Majestic – said: “As We sent to you a Messenger from amongst yourselves, reciting to you Our Signs, purifying you, and teaching you the Book and the Wisdom, that which you did not know.” [Sooratul-Baqarah 2:151]
And our Salaf (Pious Predecessors) used to inherit tazkiyah from each other, as part of good and fine manners. This was due to their sitting with the Shaykh and accompanying him. So ’Abdullaah Ibn Maslamah al-Qa’nabee (d.221H) – rahimahullaah – said: “We used to sit with Imaam Maalik and take from his manners and conduct, just as we would take from his knowledge.”
However, in the later generations, Sharee’ah knowledge has almost become restricted to just colleges and universities and sitting in front of the doctors and teachers for short periods of time. So the students do not take any benefit from good manners and conduct – even if those teachers have a share of it. And we often see and hear about many shortcomings of both the students and the teachers! Thus, the Religion has become weak, yaqeen (certainty of faith) has dwindled, sabr (patient perseverence) with its wide Islaamic understanding – has passed away, as has zuhd (praiseworthy abstinence from the world) – except for those whom my Lord has mercy upon. So knowledge alone, without good manners and conduct, will not produce any fruit in a way that the people can be benefitted by its possessor – from what is seen and what is spoken. And through seeking knowledge alone, the Muslims will not be saved from hypocrisy. Rather, seeking knowledge must be accompanied by good manners and conduct, so that he remains safe, derives benefit and is saved from sin and its causes, and also from being burdened. This is attested to by what at-Tirmidhee authentically relates in his Sunan (no.2837), from Aboo Hurayrah (radiyallaahu ’anhu) that the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said: ‘Two qualities do not come together in a hypocrite: good manners and conduct, and the understanding of the Religion.’
So in this hadeeth, good manners and conduct are mentioned before understanding of the Religion. Indeed, the greatest and most valuable fruits of tazkiyah (purification) are sabr (patience) and zuhd (abstinence from the non-beneficial things of this world) and the greatest and most precious fruits of ’ilm (knowledge) is yaqeen. So he who gains them both in this way, then he is one of the Imaams (leaders) of the Religion; and this is testified to by the saying of Allaah – the Most High: “And We made from them leaders, giving guidance by Our Command, whilst they had sabr (patient perseverence) and had yaqeen (certainty) in Our Signs.” [Soorah Sajdah 32:24].
Finally! We must draw attention to the fact that the Salafus-Saaliheen (Pious Predecessors) – may Allaah be pleased with them all – actualised these two tasks and therefore they achieved rectification of themselves and rectification of others. ’Abdullaah Ibnul-Mubaarak (d.181H) – rahimahullaah – used to say: “The latter part of this Ummah will not be rectified, except by that which rectified its first part: zuhd and yaqeen.” And zuhd cannot be attained except by means of sabr, which cannot be attained except through tazkiyah (purifcation). And yaqeen cannot be attained except through purified Sharee’ah knowledge. So would that we had realized that our misfortune lies in the absence of these two matters from our lives, and that he who calls to them – persisting in this and refusing to be pre-occupied from them by anything else – then he is upon the correct manhaj (methodology) and upon the Straight Path.
Footnotes:
[1] Taken from al-Asaalah magazine (no. 10/Shawwaal 1414H).
[2] Quoted by Ibnul-Qayyim in Madaarijus-Saalikeen (2/154).
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